The Unpredictable Ocean

I know there are some people, like my son Nathaniel, who follow the tides and swells and temperatures of the ocean by means of an app so they know what to expect when they go to the beach with their surfboard. The rest of us, however, as we walk onto the beach are wondering how large the waves are going to be, whether it is high tide or low tide, and what the water temperature is. We look to see if the lifeguards have put out the green flags, yellow flags, or red flags, each indicating the level of danger. Most of us go to the beach with the highest of hopes, but we understand that the ocean can be unpredictable, thus we don’t really know what to expect. 

Living as close to the beach as I do (I’m about 5 miles from Long Branch, NJ), I’m down there quite often. And like most people, I usually don’t know what to expect. Recently, two days in a row, I went to the beach hoping to take a good swim only to find the waters very rough and the wind blowing strong and steady. The water was not all that inviting. A couple days later, however, the waters were as calm as could be with hardly a wave in sight (much to the chagrin of the surfers!). Usually, by the time we hit August, the water temperature is relatively warm. This year we had a few days wherein a cold current came to the Jersey shore bringing the water temperature down to what we would expect at the beginning of June. And there are other things that we can face when we go to the ocean for a swim—e.g.,  jellyfish, algae, and other sea creatures! 

If  you think about it, the ocean is pretty much like life, unpredictable. After all, when we wake up in the morning we have little clue as to what is going to happen that day. For sure, there are many days when things go according to plan. But there are as well, plenty of times throughout our lives when the unpredictable shows up. Our plans for that day are suddenly thrown to the wind by the car accident, the doctor’s report, the pink slip at work, the death of a spouse, child, or friend. It’s as if the ocean of our lives has suddenly, unexpectedly, and unpredictably been stirred up and we find ourselves in the midst of circumstances for which we were totally unprepared. 

This is why James wrote to the believers, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’  (James 4:13-15 – NIV)  

In other words, although we might make our plans, getting up in the morning expecting to live out those plans, in the end we entrust our lives into God’s hands. After all, he’s the only one who really knows what’s going to happen day by day; to him nothing is unpredictable. And, he has promised to be with us through every twist and turn we might face in this life. Most of all, he has the power to help us through whatever might come our way. 

So, go ahead and make your plans for today, tomorrow, and the days to come. But be sure to submit those plans and thus entrust your life to the One who knows the beginning from the end—the One who is able to keep you safe through the unpredictable ocean of this life. 

Have a great day…I think I just might go for a swim!

- Pastor Tim Harris